How to profit with your site and when selling your website.

SIMPLE SECRETS FOR PROFITING FROM YOUR WEBSITE
Kaliannah Shirah

First off, let me explain that I'm not a marketing guru...simply
someone who has had success (a fair amount of revenue) from four
sites I've "owned" over the past four years. I've also "sold"
three sites and negotiating the sale of a fourth -- not for an
exorbitant amount of money, but at a fair sum to both myself and
the buyer.

So...whether your goal is to PROFIT from continued ownership of
your website or prepare your site for being sold, the tips below
will pave the way for you. What has worked for me will possibly
work for you!

1. Create or promote a product that you have more than a basic
knowledge of.

2. Promote only what you can recommend through first hand
knowledge.

3. Make your site interactive -- use cgi and perl scripts when
appropriate.

4. Use a professionally designed template! I experienced a
noticable increase in sales when I replaced my do-it-yourself
design with a pro one. I use and recommend: BoxedArt.com and
Templates911.com.

5. Check your meta-tags. Do they accurately and adequately
describe what's on your site? Are you using enough keywords?
Visit ScrubtheWeb.com's free analyzer to see.

6. Verify that no "bad" words or words that could possibly be
"filtered" are used.

7. Once your tags are in place or updated, submit/resubmit to
search engines. Free submission: AddMe.com, AddPro.com,
Launch.com, SubmitExpress.com, BuildTraffic.com.

8. Visit similar sites, sign their guestbooks (this provides
another link to your site in cyberland and with enough, will
increase your rating in the search engines).

9. Start a link exchange - limit it to legitimate sites related
to yours, no link farms, etc.

10. Start an opt-in ezine. Publish it at least one per month,
like clockwork. Use a pop-up subscription box upon entry to the
page. Do not use give your ezine subscribers an overdose of
"solo ads."

11. Offer a contest...one where your ezine must be read to see
if they've won.

12. If you have a new product, offer your subscribers a "deal"
for pre-ordering. Stress that the "deal" is available to
subscribers only.

13. Provide fast, friendly customer service. A previous
customer could be a prospective buyer.

14. If you promise something, deliver it.

15. Always honor refund requests, unless your site specifically
says all sales final.

16. If you goal is to SALE your website, follow the above steps
AND: Order an additional year of prepaid hosting and renew the
domain for an additional year.

I use and recommend NTCHosting.com. Their business pkg is only
$59.40 per year, easily recovered from the sale of the site.
GoDaddy.com has the best rates at only $8.95 per year.

17. Create a purchase agreement that both the buyer and seller
must sign. Be sure to include a disclaimer that you cannot/will
not guarantee traffic or revenue as well as an accounting of
exactly what is included with the package. Be sure to create a
list of all scripts, passwords and login details. Some coders
license commercial scripts to run on a single domain. If this
is the case with the scripts that are included in your site's
package, be sure it's written into the agreement.

18. Build your ezine subscriber base to at least 1,000 before
attempting to sale.

19. Make sure YOU'VE personally profited from your site before
attempting to sale. Keep documentation to back up your claims.

20. Deal honestly with the buyer -- word of mouth, positive or
negative, travels fast.

21. Ask a reasonable amount for your site. A good rule of
thumb to follow: take your average monthly profit and multiply
it by two, then deduct $99. Alternatively, there's a good many
companies that provide evaluation of your site's worth - for a
fee.

I hope the above has helped you...or at least given you the
determination to continue with or sale your website!

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Copyright © 2003, Kaliannah Shirah. All Rights Reserved.
Kali is a freelance writer for several on/offline publications,
specializing in work at home career guidance for women. She also
pens romances and short stories. Visit her website to download
*original* free electronic books. http://www.kaliannah.com.

How to Start & Run A Profitable Home-Based
Transcription Business, ISBN 0-9734286-0-0
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